Monthly Archives: May 2005

Dancing Stage Unleashed 2

Konami’s “Dancing Stage Unleashed 2” (for the Xbox) came out a few weeks ago without me noticing. I gave in now and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it supports the Song Packs of its predecessor (although a way to use the “original” songs in part 2 without swapping the discs would be nice). I am not quite sure about any of the new songs yet, but there seem to be a lot more licensed tracks this time around. It even has 2 songs from Jesper Kyd; a 15 minute Hardwired / Global Trash v3 song would be too much to ask for, though. 😉 Another bonus is that it contains a beginner mode for training (which part 1 was sorely lacking for beginners like me).
There’s also a first download which unlocks 2 additional dancers. Did I mention how much I hate unlocking stuff via an online transaction if it’s been on the disc in the first place?

Resident Evil 4 (GameCube)

I finished RE4 yesterday evening — and at this point in time, me finishing a game is in itself a recommendation. It manages to revive the franchise in so many ways while still staying true to its core, coupled with amazing visuals and sound effects. Most in game cut-scenes look better than pre-rendered sequences used in other games and the game itself is equally well executed with plenty of atmospheric particle effects, good texture work and excellent character models. The only (small) mar is that it always runs in (non-anamorphic) wide-screen mode.
It is a fairly long game (a bit below 22h for me — with 908 enemies killed), but due a variety of nuances in the core gameplay (partner, vehicle, etc.) it manages to stay fresh and interesting throughout with an amazing intensity. The merchants with their different available weapons, upgrades and available mini-games improve replayability manifold as you can take your inventory and excess cash into a new game.